Melinda Kusemachibi
A 28-year-old Masvingo serving member of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) and two other accomplices were recently arrested by police in Harare on allegations of illegally possessing the world’s most trafficked animal, the Pangolin.
National Police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest of the trio on ZRP official Twitter handle saying the three were arrested after being found in possession of a Pangolin which is part of the endangered species.
“ZRP confirms the arrest of Daniel Kwaramba (30), Ocean Donono (46) and Lyce Jeremiah Manyande (28) for being found in possession of a Pangolin on 03/12/21 at Total Service Station along Julius Nyerere, Harare.
Manyande is believed to be police officer working in Masvingo under the Police Protection Unit (PPU) department.
“The three were busted by police while searching for a potential buyer for the pangolin which was being sold for US$3 000,” read the Tweet.
The offence attracts a mandatory sentence of nine years in prison.
Flora and Fauna Director Fidelicy Nyamukondiwa said the number of people arrested for poaching remains high in the country despite having restrictive laws.
“Zimbabwe has a plethora of deterrent laws on wildlife trafficking but the number of people being arrested for wildlife offences remains high. Poverty, corruption and greedy are some of the major drivers of wildlife-related offences in the country,” said Nyamukondiwa.
A number of people have been arrested for possessing the Pangolin that is believed to possess an array for medicines which some sections of the society feel is just cultural propaganda.
In a related story Shake Mafuka, was convicted and sentenced for unlawful possession of ivory and Pangolin scales without a permit in 2018. The convictions were initially confirmed by two Judges when they reviewed the case.
Because the Magistrate’s court found no special circumstances, it sentenced Mafuka to nine years in prison on each count, bringing the total to 18 years. On review the High Court altered that sentence to a total of just nine years because the judges believed the two counts should be treated as one for sentencing.
However, the matter later came back to the High Court for further review. This was after a case in Masvingo raised the question of whether Pangolins were listed as protected animals on a special list drawn up by government. As a result of the Masvingo case that spotted the legal loophole, the court dealing with Mafuka’s matter had to review Mafuka’s case all over again.
The case in Masvingo that initially focused attention on the problem of pangolin exclusion from the schedule involved a teacher and two others, tried for possessing a pangolin that they tried to sell for US$5 000. The three asked for leniency on the grounds that their offence did not cause any proven harm to Zimbabwe’s economy.
